Toboggan



(No Model.)

A. P. MIGEON.

TOBQGGAN` No. 359,736. Patented Mar. 22, 1887.

iln'rre rares artnr trice@ ACHILLE F. MIGECN, OF TORRINGTOET,CONNECTICUT.

TOBOGGAN.

-PECIE'ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 859,736, dated harch22, 1887.

Application liled January 2l, 188i'. Serial No. 5224.984. (N0 m0=l0l-lTo all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ACHILLEF. MIGEON, of Torrington, in the county ofIiitehtield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Toboggans; and the following is declared to be adescription ofthe same.

In toboggans as heretofore made there has been no permanent or reliableconnection or fastening device between the upper edge of the front hoodand the side hand-rails or the body of the toboggan, and there was aconsequent lack of strength and rigidity. The side rails have heretoforeserved the triple purpose of keeping the tobogganers within the spacebetween the rails for fastening to them the cushioned seat and for thetobogganer to grasp in descending the slide. 'This latter is attendedwith danger, because of the liability of striking the hand against thestring-pieces forming the shoot of the incline.

In my improved toboggan I employ 'flat longitudinal strips of wood toform the body and hood ofthe toboggan, as is usuai in the ordinarytoboggan, and my improvements relate to the following features: I employribs or runners placed on the under side of the dat longitudinal strips,and the same are bent u p over and around the hood and continued alongas the side rails, thus securely connecting the hood and body of thetoboggan. I also employ an open-work of wire-netting, cord, rawhide, orcanvas connected, respectively, to the edge of the hood and iirst crossslat of toboggan, the same acting as a foot-rest and brace, and at thesame time overcoming a danger that exists to a lobogganer who might havehis or her feet under the hood, and become entangled thereby andincrease the risk of personal injury if the toboggan is overturned. Ialso employ handles within the side rails, which permit the tobogganerto hold on to the toboggan withoutthc risk of striking the hands againstthc sides ofthe string-pieces upon the slide.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my impro ved toboggancomplete. Fig. 2 is a cross-section, and Fig. 3 is a partial plan, ofthetoboggan in larger size. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations of the frontportion of the toboggan, showingmodications therein. These igures arealso in larger size.

The toboggan is composed ol longitudinal slats a, which are bent over atthe front ends to form the hoede', and the cross-slats b and c, and thenarrow slats d, and the side rails, e, and metal postsj, connecting therails c with the slats c.- These parts are common, and do not requirefurther description.

The Vribs or runners g g are placed on the under side of the datlongitudinal strips or slats c and bolted or screwed thereto, and saidrunners are continued up around the hood e. The outside runners, g', arealso continued down and formed into the side rails,c, the parts beingshaped and tapered in any desired manner. I prefer to shoe the runners gg' with pieces of rlat steel. I have shown four of these runners; butthere may be one under each slat a. The openworl which forms afoot-rest,7i, and brace, is fastened along its upper edge to the edge of the hooda by straps and eyes or other means, and along its lower edge to one ofthe slats c or to the slats a in a similar manner.

rIhe foot-rest h is composed of an open-work of wire-netting, or ofcotton or other cord, or of rawhide similar to snow-shoes; or it may bemade oi' canvas. This foot-rest li. serves also to keep the feet of thetobogganer outside the hood, and they cannot be placed inside or withinthe hood, thus avoiding the danger that exists to the tobogganer il" thefeet pass within the hood, as he or she cannot quickly free themselvesit the toboggan is overturned.

The handles i, preferably of wrought or malleable cast metal, have armsi', upon the ends of which are rings encircling the rail c, and there isa brace, i?, curving downwardly and having a foot-piece secured by ascrew to one of the crossslat-sc orb. The handles permit the tobogganerto take a firm hold within the line of the rails c, where the hands areprotected. There may be any desired number of these handles upon thetoboggan, the same being placed in pairs at intervals. The form of theseparate handle may be modified without departing from my invention.

Instead of the side rails, c, and runners y being in one piece, as shownin Fig. 1, sometimes I connect them as shown in Figs. 4 and IOO 5. InFig. lithe end of the rail e is capped with a metal head, e', throughthe outer end of which is a hole to receive the end ot' the Lrunner gafter it is bent over the hood a', and

in Fig. 5 the turned-up end of the rail e and the turned-down end of therunner g are both tapered and lapped and riveted together.

Instead, of the metal posts f, (shown in Fig. 1,) I sometimes employ thewooden blocks 7c, that are shown in Fig. 5. These blocks k are notchedto receive the crossslats c, and rest upon them and the slats a, andthelower ends are bolted to the slats a., and the rails e rest upon the topof said blocks, and. bolts k pass through the rail c, block 7c, andslats c and (L, and iirmly fasten them together.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, in a toboggan, of thelongitudinal slats bent at the forward ends to form the hood,cross-slats connecting the longitudinal slats together, longitudinalrunners beneath and attached to the longitudinal slats, andside railsand connections between the side rails and cross-slats, the outsiderunners being extended around the hood to the side rails, so that 'theouter runners and side rails are rigid, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a toboggan, of' the longitudinal slats bent atthe forward ends to form the hood, oross slats connecting thelongitudinal slats together, longitudinall runners beneath and attachedto the longitudinal slats, and side railsand connections-between theside rails and cross-slats, each outside runner and` side rail being ofone piece of Wood bent around;

thehood, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, .in a toboggan having a hood, a', of a separatefoot-;rest, h, attached at its top and bottom edges to the hood and`body of the toboggan, respectively, substau` 'tially as specified.`

4. The combination, in toboggan, With the slats al) c and the siderails, e, of handles t', arms t, connecting said handles with the railse, and braces 2, connecting the handles With through and connecting therespeotiveparts 1 together, substantially as specified.

Signed by me this `15th day `of January, A. D. 1887.

ACHILLE F. MIGEON.

Witnesses:

GIDEoN H. WELCH, HENRY I. JACKSON.`

